Article information processing system

Abstract

The invention provides an article information processing system, and relates to the technical field of computers, and the system comprises a terminal device which is used for displaying article information of a shop related to the position of a user, and presenting an article searching control around each piece of article information when it is detected that the user is in the shop; displaying a map in response to a triggering operation on an article searching control, and displaying navigation information of an article position of a target article aimed at the triggering operation based on the map; the server is used for responding to the object position of the target object arrived by the user according to the navigation information, completing payment operation on the target object added to a designated area, generating payment voucher information and sending the payment voucher information to the terminal equipment for display; and the verification device is used for acquiring the payment voucher information to verify the payment voucher information, and completing article extraction under the condition that verification is passed. The article extraction efficiency can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of computer technology, and more specifically, to an article information processing system. Background Technology

[0002] In related technologies, when retrieving items from a store, users need to find the items themselves; users need to queue when retrieving items, resulting in long waiting times, low efficiency, high consumption of equipment resources, poor user operation convenience, and a poor user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this disclosure is to provide an article information processing system that overcomes, at least to some extent, the problem of low efficiency caused by the limitations and defects of related technologies.

[0004] Other features and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part from practice of this disclosure.

[0005] According to one aspect of this disclosure, an article information processing system is provided, comprising: A terminal device is used to display item information of a store related to the user's location, and to present an item search control around each item information when the user is detected to be inside the store; in response to a trigger operation of the item search control, a map is displayed, and navigation information of the item location of the target item targeted by the trigger operation is displayed based on the map; The server is used to respond to the user's arrival at the location of the target item according to the navigation information, complete the payment operation for the target item added to the designated area, generate payment voucher information and send it to the terminal device for display; The verification device is used to acquire the payment voucher information to verify the payment voucher information, and to complete the item retrieval if the verification is successful.

[0006] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the terminal device includes: The navigation marker display module is used to display a navigation marker on the map with the user's location as the starting point and the item's location as the ending point when the first distance between the user's location and the item's location is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold. The orientation guidance indicator display module is used to display an orientation guidance indicator when the first distance between the user's location and the location of the target item is less than a first distance threshold.

[0007] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the navigation sign display module includes: A navigation path determination module is used to display a navigation path from the user's location to the item's location on the map; The navigation prompt information display module is used to display the item identifier of the target item on the map, detect the click operation on the item identifier, display the item details information of the target item and a zoomed-in map at the next higher level of the map, and display navigation prompt information in the zoomed-in map.

[0008] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the terminal device further includes: The location indication information determination module is used to present the location indication information of the target item at the designated location of the directional guidance sign, and / or, navigation prompts to reach the location of the item.

[0009] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the terminal device further includes: The identifier change module is used to detect that the first distance between the user's location and the item's location is less than a second distance threshold, and then switch the directional guidance identifier to a region identifier; the radius of the region identifier is positively correlated with the first distance.

[0010] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the article information processing system further includes: Electronic price tags, placed on shelves in the store, are used to respond to user actions and trigger the display of the item details page of the target item on the terminal device's operating page.

[0011] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the electronic shelf label includes: The first trigger display module is used to respond to the scanning operation of the identification code on the electronic price tag and trigger the display of the item details page of the target item; Alternatively, the second trigger display module is used to respond to the acquisition of image information of the electronic price tag, extract item identity information from the image information, and trigger the display of the item details page based on the item identity information; Alternatively, a third trigger display module is used to trigger the display of the item details page in response to a second distance between the terminal device and the electronic price tag being less than a third distance threshold.

[0012] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the terminal device further includes: The add-to-cart module is used to detect add-to-cart operations performed on the item details page, add the target item to a designated area, and display the target item in the designated area on the selected page; the designated area is either an in-store pickup area or a non-in-store pickup area; The alternative item display module is used to display the item identifier of the alternative item and navigation information to reach the location of the alternative item in the designated area when the inventory status of the target item is insufficient.

[0013] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the server includes: The payment module is used to generate order information in response to clicks on the payment control, and to call the payment system to perform payment operations on one or more target items in the specified area.

[0014] In one exemplary embodiment of this disclosure, the terminal device further includes: The item comparison module is used to determine whether the shelf item corresponding to the item location matches the target item when the user arrives at the item location. The replacement module is used to replace the item information of the target item with the item information of the shelf item when the shelf item and the target item do not match, or to display the actual navigation information to the target item on the map.

[0015] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the technical solutions, on the one hand, provide an item search control to display a map of the store and navigation information to the target item's location based on the map after triggering the control. This provides users with route guidance to find the target item based on the navigation information and directional signs, improving the efficiency of item location lookup, the efficiency of item retrieval, the convenience of item retrieval within the store, and the overall user experience. On the other hand, after completing payment for a target item in a designated area, item retrieval can be completed by verifying the generated payment voucher information once using a verification device. This moves the user's order placement to the item selection stage, avoiding the complexity of requiring verification devices to scan each item individually in related technologies. This reduces operation steps, improves user convenience, reduces user waiting time, thereby increasing item retrieval efficiency, reducing resource consumption of verification devices, and improving reliability.

[0016] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this disclosure, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0018] Figure 1 The diagram illustrates an application scenario of an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 2The diagram illustrates an article information processing system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the display of item information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0021] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates a display of an item search control in an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 5 The diagram illustrates the display map and navigation path of an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a page illustrating a directional guide sign according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] Figure 7 A schematic diagram illustrating the display area identifier of an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0025] Figure 8 A- Figure 8 B schematically illustrates a diagram showing an item details page according to an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 9 This diagram illustrates the process of adding items to your cart according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 10 This schematic diagram illustrates a page with a designated area added according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 11 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of a page displaying payment voucher information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 12 This diagram illustrates a process for finding items according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Figure 13 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of the payment process for items according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0031] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided to make this disclosure more comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the concept of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided to give a full understanding of embodiments of this disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the technical solutions of this disclosure can be practiced with one or more of the specific details omitted, or other methods, components, apparatus, steps, etc., can be employed. In other instances, well-known technical solutions are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring various aspects of this disclosure.

[0032] Furthermore, the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of this disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar parts, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted. Some block diagrams shown in the drawings are functional entities and do not necessarily correspond to physically or logically independent entities. These functional entities may be implemented in software, in one or more hardware modules or integrated circuits, or in different network and / or processor devices and / or microcontroller devices.

[0033] This disclosure provides an item information processing system that can be applied to an application scenario where items are retrieved from a store. (Reference) Figure 1 As shown, the terminal device's operation page displays item information for the store related to the user's location, and when the user is detected to be inside the store, item search controls appear around each item. After the user triggers one or more item search controls, a map is displayed on the operation page, along with navigation information for the target item's location. The user arrives at the target item's location according to the navigation information, obtains item details via an electronic price tag, and adds the item to their cart. After completing payment for the added item in the designated area, a payment voucher is generated and sent to the terminal device for display. A verification device deployed in the store obtains the payment voucher information for verification. If verification is successful, the item can be retrieved, and the user can leave the store with the retrieved item.

[0034] Next, with reference to the accompanying drawings, each module of the article information processing system in the embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail.

[0035] Terminal device 210 is used to display item information of a store related to the user's location, and to present an item search control around each item information when the user is detected to be in the store; in response to a trigger operation of the item search control, it displays a map and displays navigation information of the item location of the target item targeted by the trigger operation based on the map.

[0036] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the terminal device can be any type of device capable of executing an application, and may have barcode scanning or NFC functionality. The application can be an application corresponding to a specific type of store, such as a smart retail store. Upon detecting a click on the application icon, the application is launched and the user enters its homepage. The application can be a standalone application, a mini-program, or a public account, etc. On the application's homepage, item information related to the user's location can be displayed, specifically item information from the store closest to the user. In some embodiments, if the user has a history of using the application, item information can be displayed based on one or more of the following: user preferences, user location, and store activities. User preferences can be determined based on historical behavior within a preset time period, which can be at least one of order placement, add-to-cart, browsing, favorites, and comments. Store activities can be promotional activities for items within the store. If the user does not have a history of using the application, item information can be displayed based on store activities.

[0037] For example, the store's item information can be displayed in the first area of ​​the operation page. The first area can be any suitable location on the operation page, such as the bottom area. When displaying the store's item information in the first area, each item information can correspond to a display area, and the display areas for different item information are independent of each other. The size parameters of the display areas for multiple item information can be the same or different; the size parameters can be width or height, determined specifically according to the content to be displayed for each item information. For example, the content to be displayed for each item information may include an item image and item description information. The item image in each item information can be a static image or a dynamic image of the item. The description information can be displayed below, to the left, or to the right of the item image, and can be used to describe the specific details of the item. The description information may include one or more of the following: item tags, discount information, item name, item specifications, item rankings, item reviews, and item storage conditions.

[0038] For example, for each item information, an item label can be displayed at a preset position on the item image. This item label is used to indicate the item's special features, flavor, specifications, etc. The preset position can be the lower left or lower right corner.

[0039] It should be noted that users can open the application inside or outside the store; there are no specific restrictions here.

[0040] refer to Figure 3 As shown, when the application is detected to be open, the item information of the corresponding store is displayed in the first area of ​​the application's operation page. The item information can be displayed using item cards.

[0041] In this embodiment, after the application is launched, the user's location can be determined. Specifically, the location method can be determined based on the store type. The store type can be either a first-type store or a second-type store. The cost or requirements for a first-type store can be lower than those for a second-type store. For example, for a first-type store, a Bluetooth Beacon can be configured within the store to locate the user's position using RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) signal strength triangulation or fingerprinting. For instance, Bluetooth can be configured on the store ceiling or in any other suitable location. For a second-type store, user location is achieved using round-trip time (RTT) ranging between the Wi-Fi AP and the terminal, improving stability. Furthermore, the user's location is compared with the store's area to determine if the user is inside the store.

[0042] When a user is detected inside the store, an item search control can be displayed around each item's information on the user interface. This item search control triggers a map-based search for items within the store. Each item can correspond to one item search control. Therefore, multiple item search controls can be displayed on the terminal device's user interface. For example, the item search control can be located below or to the right of the item information, etc., without specific limitations. The item search control can be, for example, a map-based item search or other types of controls, as long as it can trigger a map-based search for the target item.

[0043] refer to Figure 4 As shown, when a user enters a store, a "Find Items on Map" control can be displayed near the item information in the application when the user is detected inside the store.

[0044] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the triggering operation can be an operation applied to one or more item search controls. Detecting a click on an item search control triggers one item search control; detecting a long press on multiple item search controls sequentially, or clicking multiple item search controls sequentially after clicking a batch selection control, triggers multiple item search controls. Item search controls can also be triggered by voice, which is not specifically limited here. Further, the target item to be searched can be determined based on the number of triggered item search controls. The target item can be the item targeted by the triggering operation, and the number of target items is specifically determined based on the number of triggered item search controls.

[0045] After triggering one or more item search controls, a map can be displayed in a second area of ​​the operation page. This second area can be different from the first area; for example, it can be located above the first area. The map displayed in the second area can show the shelf layout within the store, as well as the user's location and the location of the target item triggered by the operation. It can also display navigation information between the user's location and the item's location. For example, for the first type of store, the location information of each item can be directly configured in the store's corresponding map database. The map database is updated in real time according to the actual state of the store to ensure the accuracy of the location information. Here, the item location refers to the location of the installed electronic shelf label. This item location allows the identification of the area and shelf where the target item is located. For the second type of store, the item location can be determined using UWB (Ultra-Wideband) pulse ranging. UWB capability can be incorporated into the electronic shelf label or its accessories, enabling the electronic shelf label to interact with terminal devices that support UWB multi-antenna arrays to measure the direction and distance of the item relative to the terminal device. Specifically, an ultra-wideband (UWB) communication module is integrated into the electronic shelf label or its accessories, enabling the electronic shelf label to have UWB functionality. This UWB functionality is fundamental to realizing the compass-view shopping guide capability. It should be noted that items on the same shelf can be configured on the same electronic shelf label, or they can be configured on multiple electronic shelf labels depending on actual needs; no specific limitations are made here.

[0046] In some embodiments, navigation information may include navigation markers and directional guidance markers. Whether to display navigation markers or directional guidance markers can be determined based on a comparison between a first distance between the user's location and the location of the target item, and a first distance threshold. Specifically, if the first distance between the user's location and the item's location is greater than or equal to the first distance threshold, a navigation marker with the user's location as the starting point and the item's location as the ending point is displayed on the map; if the first distance between the user's location and the location of the target item is less than the first distance threshold, a directional guidance marker is displayed. The first distance threshold can be determined based on the size of the store, for example, it could be 5 meters or 10 meters, etc.

[0047] Navigation identifiers may include navigation paths and / or navigation tips. A navigation path refers to the navigation route from the user's location to the location of the target item. Navigation tips indicate the distance and time required to reach the target item from the user's location.

[0048] First, let's explain the navigation path. The navigation path is determined based on the user's location, the item's location, the shelf layout within the store, and the store's foot traffic density. When there are multiple target items, the navigation path can be determined based on the user's location, the item's location, the positional relationships between the multiple target items, the shelf layout within the store, and the store's foot traffic density.

[0049] For example, the physical dimensions, distribution location, aisle width, and shelf spacing of the shelves in the store are processed into a road network structure including nodes and edges. Nodes are key locations such as shelf intersections, aisle turns, and entrances and exits, and edges are the passable paths between nodes. The path attributes are labeled, and the path attributes can be whether it is bidirectional and the minimum passable width.

[0050] Starting from the user's location and ending at the target item's location, multiple candidate paths are calculated that meet the conditions of being passable and unobstructed. The path node sequence, total path distance, estimated travel time, and congestion index distribution of the traversed areas are then determined for each candidate path. For example, the path node sequence could be: user location - turn at aisle A - entrance to shelf #5 - item location. The congestion index score can be estimated based on distance and the congestion index itself.

[0051] The congestion cost for each group of candidate paths is calculated based on the product of the congestion index and the path length. Candidate paths with congestion costs exceeding a threshold are removed to determine the remaining candidate paths. Among the remaining candidate paths, a navigation path is determined based on the weights of the candidate paths. This navigation path can be dynamically adjusted according to actual conditions. For example, a first product of distance weight and distance can be determined, and a second product of congestion weight and congestion index can be determined. The weights of the candidate paths are determined based on the sum of the first and second products.

[0052] In addition, the map can display item icons for target items, which can be item thumbnails or item names, etc. Item icons dynamically change based on the item's inventory status. When an item is in sufficient stock, the item icon can be displayed in the first color; when an item is in insufficient stock, the item icon can be displayed in the second color. Text describing the inventory status can also be provided around the item icon to indicate its status. When an item is in insufficient stock, an icon for a substitute item can be displayed on the map. Substitute items can be of the same category as the target item or have a similar price.

[0053] In some embodiments, the item icon can also serve as an interactive entry point. When a click on the item icon is detected, the item details and a zoomed-in map of the target item can be displayed at the next level above the map. The zoomed-in map can be a map with a radius of 2 meters centered on the location of the electronic price tag. Navigation prompts can be displayed on the zoomed-in map. The navigation prompts indicate the distance and estimated time required to reach the target item from the user's location. This distance and time refer to the distance and time to the nearest target item to the user's location, but can also refer to the distance and time to the last target item; no specific limitation is made here. The estimated time can be determined based on the user's movement speed and pedestrian traffic. The estimated time can dynamically change as the user moves.

[0054] refer to Figure 5 As shown, when a user clicks the "Find Item on Map" control below any item, they are taken to a shopping guide page displaying a map. The map shows the user's location and orientation, the target item's location, and the navigation path between them. Additionally, an item icon corresponding to the target item can be displayed at the target item's location.

[0055] It should be noted that when displaying navigation information, the item information of the target item corresponding to the navigation information in the first area can also be displayed differently. For example, the item information can be displayed dynamically so that users can know the item they are looking for in a timely manner.

[0056] In some embodiments, after determining the navigation path from the user's location to the target item's location, prompts can be displayed on the map indicating related items on the shelves along the navigation path that correspond to the target item. Related items can be group-buying items associated with promotional activities, such as discounts or buy-one-get-one-free offers. Furthermore, tags for related items can be displayed; these tags can be for group buying and may include the group-buying price, without specific limitations. Upon detecting a click on a related item's prompt, the related item's details can be displayed. If the user's dwell time on the related item's details page exceeds a time threshold, the navigation information can be adjusted based on the related item's location.

[0057] In this embodiment of the disclosure, upon detecting that the user is moving according to navigation information, a first distance between the user's location and the location of the target item can be monitored in real time. If it is determined that the first distance between the user's location and the location of the target item is less than a first distance threshold, a directional guidance icon can be displayed in the second area of ​​the operation page, that is, the map and navigation information in the second area are switched to the directional guidance icon. The directional guidance icon is used to indicate the directional information of the item's location relative to the user's location and the user's orientation. The directional guidance icon may include an image icon and / or a text icon. The image icon may be a compass icon or a directional arrow icon, etc. The text icon may be text used to describe the directional information, such as "7.5 meters to the left and forward". When the directional guidance icon is displayed in the second area, the first area still displays the item information of the store corresponding to the application, and the item information of the target item corresponding to the directional guidance icon can be displayed differently, such as dynamically.

[0058] In some embodiments, after determining the user's orientation, the position difference between the user's position and the object's position can be used to calculate the object's deflection angle and distance relative to the user, and this information can be synchronously fed back to the terminal device.

[0059] refer to Figure 6 As shown, when the first distance between the user's location and the item's location is less than the first distance threshold, for example, when the user arrives at a range of about 3 meters from the item's location, the map and navigation path displayed in the second area can be switched to a directional guide icon. The directional guide icon may include, for example, a compass arrow and a text icon. The text icon may be, for example, "X direction X meters", so as to guide the user to quickly obtain the item and improve the item acquisition efficiency.

[0060] As the user moves along the navigation path, the completed path can be displayed as the first state, and the incomplete path as the second state. The completed and incomplete paths can be updated based on the user's location. The first and second states can be distinguished by different colors, or by dashed or solid lines; there are no specific limitations here, as long as they are distinguishable.

[0061] If the first distance between the user's location and the target item's location is less than a first distance threshold, when displaying the directional guidance marker in the second area, the location indication information of the target item and / or navigation prompts to reach the item's location can also be displayed at a designated location of the directional guidance marker in the second area. The designated location can be any suitable position of the directional guidance marker, such as above or below; no specific limitation is made here. The item location describes the shelf number and position number of the target item in the shelf. For example, the item location could be the Xth shelf, the Xth item. The item location is determined based on the location code, which can be location information pre-entered by the store during the item's shelving process. For example, it can be entered based on the voice information of store staff during the shelving process, or it can be entered based on other operations. The item location can also be determined based on the user trajectory when other users who have purchased the item retrieved it and / or user feedback information on the item's location; no specific limitation is made here. The location indication information can be text used to describe the item's location, such as item A being located on shelf X, the Xth item in shelf 1, or item A being located to the left of item B in shelf 1. Navigation prompts for reaching an item's location can be information indicating the movement path from the item's location (i.e., the location of the electronic price tag) to the item's location, such as moving from the electronic price tag to the third item A on the left.

[0062] If the first distance between the user's location and the item's location is detected to be less than a second distance threshold, the directional guidance marker is switched to a region marker. The region marker can be a ring-shaped marker, and its radius is positively correlated with the first distance between the user's location and the item's location. That is, the ring-shaped marker shrinks as the first distance decreases, becoming a fixed point when the user reaches the item's location. It should be noted that the region marker can also display the item's location relative to the user's directional guidance marker. (Reference) Figure 7 As shown, a region identifier can be displayed in the first region. The second distance threshold can be less than the first distance threshold.

[0063] In some embodiments, after detecting that a user has arrived at the location of a target item based on directional guidance, the system first determines whether the item on the shelf at that location is the target item. Specifically, the system obtains item details by scanning an electronic price tag and acquires an image of the shelf at the item's location. The acquired shelf image is compared with an item image in a first area of ​​the application to obtain an image comparison result, and the item details obtained by scanning the electronic price tag are compared with the item details in the application to obtain an information comparison result. If both the image comparison result and the information comparison result are consistent, the item at the location is determined to be the target item, and subsequent order placement is performed. If either the image comparison result or the information comparison result is inconsistent, the processing method is determined based on the user's desired item.

[0064] If the user requests an item that is on a shelf at the desired location, the system uses a store navigation system or an item replacement control within the application to replace the item information of the target item in the first area with that of the shelf item. Specifically, the item image, specifications, price, and electronic price tag of the shelf item are input into the store navigation system. After approval, the shelf item information is displayed at the location of the target item in the first area, thus replacing the target item's information. Alternatively, an item icon is displayed at the item's location on a map. This icon serves as the interaction point. A long press on the item icon triggers the item replacement control. A click on the replacement control, after approval, displays the shelf item's information in the first area, thus replacing the target item's information in the first area.

[0065] If the user's requested item is the target item in the first area of ​​the application, the user enters a query request for the target item through the store guide system to find the actual location of the target item. Based on the actual item location and the user's location, the system determines the actual navigation information to reach that location, allowing the user to retrieve the target item. The method for determining the actual navigation information is the same as the method for determining the navigation information described above, and will not be repeated here. The store guide system can be triggered through the customer service system within the application or through a separate control.

[0066] Once the shelf item at the target location is identified as the target item, it can detect whether an add-to-cart operation for the target item has been received. This add-to-cart operation adds the target item to a designated area within the application. The designated area can be an in-store shopping area or a non-in-store shopping area. An in-store shopping area refers to adding items through in-store visits, while a non-in-store shopping area refers to adding items online.

[0067] Upon detecting an add-to-cart operation for a target item, the target item is added to a designated area, such as the in-store shopping area. This add-to-cart operation can be implemented in the following ways: For example, triggering the display of the target item's details page on the terminal device via scanning, optical character recognition, or near-field communication; in response to an add-to-cart operation on the details page, the target item is added to the in-store shopping area.

[0068] In some embodiments, the electronic shelf label responds to the scanning operation of the identification code by the terminal device, triggering the display of the item details page of the target item. Specifically, the identification code on the electronic shelf label of the target item can be scanned using the scanning function of the application to obtain the item details information of the target item bound to the identification code and display the item details information on the item details page. The identification code can be a QR code or an item barcode, and no specific limitation is made here.

[0069] In other embodiments, the electronic shelf label can trigger page display based on optical character recognition (OCR). Responding to the terminal device's recognition operation of the electronic shelf label's image information, the item details page is triggered and displayed based on the item identification information extracted from the image information. Optical character recognition refers to OCR (Optical Character Recognition). Specifically, the electronic shelf label may contain text information that uniquely represents the target item. The terminal device's camera acquires image information containing the electronic shelf label, converts the image information into text to determine the target item's identification information, and then retrieves the corresponding item details information based on the item identification information and displays the item details information on the item details page.

[0070] In other embodiments, the electronic shelf label can trigger page display via near-field communication (NFC). When the second distance between the terminal device and the electronic shelf label is less than a third distance threshold, the item details page is displayed. NFC refers to communication via the NFC function of the electronic shelf label. Specifically, NFC identification capability can be embedded in the electronic shelf label or its accessories. When an NFC-enabled terminal is brought close to the electronic shelf label, NFC communication is triggered. When the second distance between the terminal and the electronic shelf label is less than the third distance threshold, item details information of the target item can be obtained and displayed on the item details page. The third distance threshold can be a small value, specifically determined based on the effective range of the NFC function.

[0071] refer to Figure 8 As shown in Figure A, the application's scanning function can be used to scan the identification code on the electronic price tag of the target item to obtain the item's detailed information. (Reference) Figure 8As shown in Figure B, a terminal that supports NFC (Near Field Communication) can be brought close to the electronic price tag to trigger near field communication, obtain the item details information of the target item, and display the item details information on the item details page.

[0072] Electronic shelf labels can also receive instructions from the store system, and update the price and inventory status of target products according to the instructions, thereby improving the interactivity and real-time information of electronic shelf labels and reducing the inefficiency caused by manual replacement of shelf labels.

[0073] The item details page may include an add-to-cart control, which can be located in any suitable position, such as the bottom right corner of the item details page; no specific limitation is made here. This add-to-cart control can include both in-store and out-of-store add-to-cart controls. The out-of-store add-to-cart control is used to implement online delivery of items. (See reference) Figure 9 As shown, the add-to-cart control can be located at the bottom of the item details page, and can specifically include adding to online shopping or adding to in-store shopping.

[0074] If a click is detected on the add-to-cart control, the target item can be added to the designated area, and the designated area and the added item will be displayed on the selected page. The selected page is the shopping cart item display page. The number of items added to the designated area can be determined based on the number of clicks. The designated area can be either the in-store shopping area or the off-store shopping area. The in-store shopping area and the off-store shopping area are displayed independently and can be triggered separately. (Reference) Figure 10 As shown, target items can be added to either the in-store shopping area or the off-store shopping area. When the user is in the store, the designated area can be the in-store shopping area; when the user is not in the store, the designated area can be the off-store shopping area, thus enabling online shopping. This online shopping can include online ordering for in-store pickup or online ordering for delivery. The quantity of target items added to the in-store shopping area or the off-store shopping area can also be adjusted based on the user's selection controls for each target item in the in-store shopping area.

[0075] After adding the target item to the designated area, if the target item's inventory status is insufficient, an item icon for a substitute item can be displayed around the target item in the designated area. For example, the substitute item's icon can be displayed below the target item. The substitute item can be an item of the same category as the target item or an item with a similar price. Furthermore, an "Add to Cart" control can be displayed near the substitute item's icon. When a click on the "Add to Cart" control is detected, the substitute item can be added to the designated area, the target item is updated based on the substitute item, and then displayed on the selected page. Further, navigation information from the user's location to the substitute item's location can be displayed around the substitute item's icon. The display method for the navigation information is the same as described above and will not be repeated here. The navigation information can be hidden after a substitute item is found.

[0076] The selected page can also display payment controls, which can be located above the specified area. Detecting a click on the payment controls on the selected page can trigger a payment transaction for at least one of the target items in the specified area. After the terminal device initiates the payment transaction, order information can be generated and sent to the server.

[0077] Server 220 is used to respond to the user's arrival at the location of the target item based on navigation information, complete the payment operation for the target item added to the designated area, generate payment voucher information and send it to the terminal device for display.

[0078] In this embodiment, after the user arrives at the location of the target item, they take the item and perform a payment operation on it. Specifically, after the server receives the order information initiated by the terminal device clicking the payment control, it calls the payment system to perform the payment operation on the order information. After receiving the payment success feedback information, the server can generate payment voucher information for the target product and display the payment voucher information in the third area of ​​the payment page.

[0079] In some embodiments, payment voucher information can be generated based on basic information, an encrypted signature, and a dynamic validity period. Basic information includes the order number, payment amount, item list hash value, and payment time. The encrypted signature is generated by the server using an asymmetric encryption algorithm to encrypt the basic information. Specifically, the order number, payment amount, item list hash value, and payment time are concatenated into a string in a preset field order; the server encrypts the string using a private key to generate an encrypted signature. The dynamic validity period can be, for example, 15 minutes or 30 minutes, without specific limitation. The server integrates the basic information, encrypted signature, and dynamic validity period to generate the final payment voucher information. The payment voucher information may include a QR code and payment prompt information. The payment prompt information may include payment status (whether payment was successful) and payment time. In addition, order information can be displayed in a fourth area on the payment page. The order information may include the item list corresponding to the payment operation, item prices, and the total price of the payment operation. The third and fourth areas can be independent areas. The third area can be located at the top of the payment page, and the fourth area can be located at the bottom of the payment page, without specific limitation.

[0080] refer to Figure 11 As shown, the payment page can display payment voucher information, a list of items corresponding to the payment operation, item prices, and the total price of the payment operation.

[0081] Verification device 230 is used to obtain payment voucher information to verify the payment voucher information, and to complete the item retrieval if the verification is successful.

[0082] Furthermore, after the user completes the payment and obtains the payment voucher information, the verification device can collect the payment voucher information and send it to the server for verification, or the verification device itself can perform the verification. Upon successful verification, the item can be retrieved. The verification device can be a PDA (Portable Data Assistant) scanning device or a self-service verification scanning device within the store. The verification device can quickly obtain the QR code (or barcode) on the payment voucher information, extracting basic information such as the order number, payment amount, and payment time; and upload the collected payment voucher information to the server via the network. The server decodes the QR code, determines the decrypted information, and verifies whether the order number exists, whether the payment amount matches, and whether the voucher is within its valid time. If the order number, payment amount, and payment time are all successfully verified, the verification will be indicated through audio, text, or visual prompts. If verification fails, the reason for the failure will be displayed for easy troubleshooting.

[0083] In addition, in the event of network failure, payment voucher information can be verified offline, and the verification records will be automatically synchronized to the server after the network is restored.

[0084] Figure 12 The flowchart illustrating the process of reaching the location of the item is shown in the image. (See reference) Figure 12 As shown, the main steps include: Step S1201: The user enters the store, opens the application on the terminal, and locates the user's arrival at the store.

[0085] In step S1202, an item search control is displayed around the item information of each item in the application. The item search control can be, for example, a "Find Items on Map" control.

[0086] In step S1203, the user clicks the item search control for the target item, displays a map, and shows the navigation path on the map.

[0087] In step S1204, the user arrives near the target item, and a directional guide icon is displayed. The directional guide icon can be, for example, a compass arrow.

[0088] In step S1205, the user arrives at the location of the target item based on the navigation path and finds the target item.

[0089] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the store map navigation can realize indoor positioning, route guidance, compass guidance and other capabilities, which improves the efficiency of shopping guides in the store and the efficiency of users finding items.

[0090] Figure 13 The flowchart for item payment is illustrated in the diagram. Figure 13 As shown, the main steps include: Step S1301: Display the item details page of the target item. For example, scan the identification code on the electronic shelf label of the target item using an application to display the item details page; or, bring a terminal with the application installed close to the electronic shelf label of the target item to read the item details information from the electronic shelf label and display the item details page.

[0091] In step S1302, the target item is added to the designated area of ​​the shopping cart.

[0092] Step S1303: Perform a payment operation on one or more target items in the specified area. After successful payment, generate and display payment voucher information.

[0093] Step S1304: After the payment voucher information is verified, the item retrieval is completed.

[0094] In this embodiment, since users can complete the payment for items through an application on their terminal device, and only need to verify the payment voucher information through a verification terminal after payment, compared with related technologies, this front-end payment process avoids the problems caused by queuing for payment, thus improving payment efficiency and convenience. Furthermore, the ability to obtain item details, add items to the shopping cart, and complete order payment through electronic price tags increases usability and improves the user experience.

[0095] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the technical solutions provide an item search control. Upon triggering the control, a map of the store is displayed, along with navigation information showing the location of the target item. This provides users with route guidance to find the target item based on the navigation information and directional markers, improving the efficiency of item location lookup, the efficiency of item retrieval, and the convenience of retrieving items within the store, thus enhancing the user experience. After completing payment for a target item in a designated area, item retrieval can be completed by verifying the generated payment voucher information once using a verification device. This moves the user's order placement to the item selection stage, avoiding the complexity of requiring verification devices to scan each item individually in related technologies. This reduces operational steps, improves user convenience, reduces user waiting time, thereby increasing item retrieval efficiency, reducing verification device resource consumption, and improving reliability.

[0096] Exemplary embodiments of this disclosure also provide an electronic device. This electronic device can be the aforementioned terminal device or server. Generally, the electronic device may include a processor and a memory, the memory storing executable instructions of the processor, and the processor configured to execute the aforementioned article information processing system method by executing the executable instructions. Furthermore, the electronic device may also include a display for displaying an operating interface.

[0097] The electronic device is described below as an example in the form of a general-purpose computing device. This electronic device is merely an example and should not be construed as limiting the functionality and scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0098] The components of an electronic device may include, but are not limited to: at least one processing unit, at least one storage unit, a bus connecting different system components (including storage units and processing units), and a display unit.

[0099] The storage unit stores program code that can be executed by the processing unit to perform the steps described in the "Exemplary Methods" section above, according to various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure. For example, the processing unit may perform the following steps.

[0100] The storage unit may include readable media in the form of volatile storage units, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or cache storage units, and may further include read-only memory (ROM).

[0101] The storage unit may also include a program / utility having a set (at least one) of program modules, including but not limited to: an operating system, one or more applications, other program modules, and program data, each or some combination of these examples may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0102] A bus can represent one or more of several types of bus structures, including a memory cell bus or memory cell controller, a peripheral bus, a graphics acceleration port, a processing unit, or a local bus that uses any of the various bus structures.

[0103] The electronic device can also communicate with one or more external devices (such as keyboards, pointing devices, Bluetooth devices, etc.), one or more devices that enable a user to interact with the electronic device, and / or any device that enables the electronic device to communicate with one or more other computing devices (such as routers, modems, etc.). This communication can be performed via input / output (I / O) interfaces. Furthermore, the electronic device can communicate with one or more networks (such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via a network adapter. As shown in the figure, the network adapter communicates with other modules of the electronic device via a bus. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figure, other hardware and / or software modules can be used in conjunction with the electronic device, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems.

[0104] It should be noted that some embodiments of this disclosure also provide a computer program product, which includes a computer program that implements the above-described method when executed by a processor.

[0105] In one implementation, the computer program product can be a tangible product containing a computer program, such as a computer-readable storage medium storing the computer program. The readable storage medium can be a storage medium based on electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or other signals, including but not limited to: random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), solid-state drive (SSD), etc. For example, the computer program product can be implemented as a non-volatile storage medium storing a computer program, such as read-only memory, NAND flash memory, etc.

[0106] In one implementation, the computer program product can be an intangible product containing a computer program. For example, the computer program product can be implemented as a virtual digital product, such as an executable file, installation package, or other digital file storing the computer program.

[0107] Computer program code can be written in one or more programming languages. Examples of programming languages ​​include C, Java, and C++. Program code can execute entirely on the user's computing device, partially on the user's computing device, or as a standalone software package. It can also execute partially on the user's computing device and partially on a remote computing device, or entirely on a remote computing device or server. In cases involving remote computing devices, the remote computing device can be connected to the user's computing device via any type of network, such as a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or it can be connected to an external computing device (e.g., via an internet connection provided by a mobile network operator).

[0108] Computer programs can be carried or transmitted via signals such as electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, and infrared rays. Electronic devices can convert signals carrying computer programs into digital signals, thereby running the computer programs. When a computer program runs on an electronic device, its code is used to cause the electronic device to execute (more specifically, to be executed by the processor of the electronic device) the method steps of various exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.

[0109] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the exemplary embodiments described herein can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solutions according to the embodiments of this disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (such as a CD-ROM, USB flash drive, external hard drive, etc.) or on a network, including several instructions to cause a computing device (such as a personal computer, server, terminal device, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods according to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0110] Furthermore, the above figures are merely illustrative of the processes included in the method according to exemplary embodiments of this disclosure and are not intended to be limiting. It is readily understood that the processes shown in the above figures do not indicate or limit the temporal order of these processes. Additionally, it is readily understood that these processes may be executed synchronously or asynchronously, for example, in multiple modules.

[0111] It should be noted that although several modules or units for the device used to perform actions have been mentioned in the detailed description above, this division is not mandatory. In fact, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the features and functions of two or more modules or units described above can be embodied in one module or unit. Conversely, the features and functions of one module or unit described above can be further divided and embodied by multiple modules or units.

[0112] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the claims.

[0113] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An item information processing system, characterized in that, include: A terminal device is used to display item information of a store related to the user's location, and to present an item search control around each item information when the user is detected to be inside the store; in response to a trigger operation of the item search control, a map is displayed, and navigation information of the item location of the target item targeted by the trigger operation is displayed based on the map; The server is used to respond to the user's arrival at the location of the target item according to the navigation information, complete the payment operation for the target item added to the designated area, generate payment voucher information and send it to the terminal device for display; The verification device is used to acquire the payment voucher information to verify the payment voucher information, and to complete the item retrieval if the verification is successful.

2. The article information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal device includes: The navigation marker display module is used to display navigation markers on the map with the user's location as the starting point and the item's location as the ending point when the first distance between the user's location and the item's location is greater than or equal to a first distance threshold. The orientation guidance indicator display module is used to display an orientation guidance indicator when the first distance between the user's location and the location of the target item is less than a first distance threshold.

3. The article information processing system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The navigation sign display module includes: A navigation path determination module is used to display a navigation path from the user's location to the item's location on the map; The navigation prompt information display module is used to display the item identifier of the target item on the map, detect the click operation on the item identifier, display the item details information of the target item and a zoomed-in map at the next higher level of the map, and display navigation prompt information in the zoomed-in map.

4. The article information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal device also includes: The location indication information determination module is used to present the location indication information of the target item at the designated location of the directional guidance sign, and / or, navigation prompts to reach the location of the item.

5. The article information processing system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The terminal device also includes: The identifier change module is used to detect that the first distance between the user's location and the item's location is less than a second distance threshold, and then switch the directional guidance identifier to a region identifier; the radius of the region identifier is positively correlated with the first distance.

6. The article information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The item information processing system also includes: Electronic price tags, placed on shelves in the store, are used to respond to user actions and trigger the display of the item details page of the target item on the terminal device's operating page.

7. The article information processing system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The electronic price tag includes: The first trigger display module is used to respond to the terminal device's scanning operation of the identification code on the electronic price tag and trigger the display of the item details page of the target item; Alternatively, the second trigger display module is used to respond to the terminal device's recognition operation of the image information of the electronic price tag, and trigger the display of the item details page based on the item identity information extracted from the image information; Alternatively, a third trigger display module is used to trigger the display of the item details page in response to a second distance between the terminal device and the electronic price tag being less than a third distance threshold.

8. The article information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal device also includes: The add-to-cart module is used to detect add-to-cart operations performed on the item details page, add the target item to a designated area, and display the target item in the designated area on the selected page; the designated area is either an in-store pickup area or a non-in-store pickup area; The alternative item display module is used to display the item identifier of the alternative item and navigation information to reach the location of the alternative item in the designated area when the inventory status of the target item is insufficient.

9. The article information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The server includes: The payment module is used to generate order information in response to clicks on the payment control, and to call the payment system to perform payment operations on one or more target items in the specified area.

10. The article information processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The terminal device also includes: The item comparison module is used to determine whether the shelf item corresponding to the item location matches the target item when the user arrives at the item location. The replacement module is used to replace the item information of the target item with the item information of the shelf item when the shelf item and the target item do not match, or to display the actual navigation information to the target item on the map.

Images